Bhutan - Lindsay Brown [211]
Druk Air is not allowed to issue tickets to Paro for foreign visitors until they receive a ‘visa clearance’ from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Thimphu. When the visa is authorised, the information is entered into the computer record for your reservation even though the actual visa will not be issued until you arrive at Paro airport. Druk Air will issue your ticket once it receives this number. For this reason, it’s difficult to get tickets for Paro flights issued along with your other international air tickets.
Because Druk Air has no interline agreements with other carriers, your ticket to Paro will be separate from your other international tickets. This means you cannot check your baggage all the way through to Paro via a connecting flight. You will need to reclaim your baggage and recheck it at the Druk Air counter. Similarly, when you depart from Bhutan, you can only check baggage as far as you are travelling with Druk Air, not all the way through to your final destination.
It is useful to have a photocopy of the visa clearance, or at least the visa number, to expedite the visa process.
In Bhutan contact Druk Air Paro ( 08-271856; fax 271861; www.drukair.com.bt; Nemizampa, Paro) Thimphu ( 02-322215; fax 322775; Chang Lam Plaza, Chang Lam, Thimphu).
Overseas offices include:
Aeroglobal ( 852-2868 3231; fax 2845 5078; RM, 22-24, New Henry House, 10 Ice St, Hong Kong)
Danfe Travel Centre ( 01-4239988, airport office 4471712; Woodlands Hotel; Durbar Marg, Kathmandu)
Druk Air Corporation India ( 033-240 2419, airport office 511 9976; fax 247 0050; 51 Tivoli Court, 1A Ballygunge Circular Rd, Kolkata); Thailand ( 02-535 1960; fax 535 3661; Room 3237, Central Block, Bangkok International Airport, Bangkok)
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CLIMATE CHANGE & TRAVEL
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Flying & Climate Change
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Carbon Offset Schemes
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For more information check out our website: lonelyplanet.com.
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Druk Air Corporation Ltd ( 011-5653207, 5652011, ext 2238; Indira Gandhi International Airport, Terminal Bldg, New Delhi, India)
Mams Aviation ( 02-986 2243; fax 882 8439; mams@bdmail.net; 33 Gulshan Ave Rd No 45, Gulshan-2, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh)
Oriole Travels & Tours ( 02-237 9201; fax 2379200; oriole@samart.co.th; 5th fl Skulthai Suriwong Tower, 141 Suriwong Rd, Bangkok 10500, Thailand)
Unique Air Travels ( 033-2474333; fax 2476167; G2, Circular Centre, 222 AJC Bose Rd, Kolkata 700017, India)
Yale Air Service ( 02-26523362; fax 2643 9614; Hangang Bldg, Yangcheon-Gu, Seoul, Korea)
Tickets
Because there is no competition with other airlines for flights to Paro, Druk Air fares are expensive. Check the latest fares at www.drukair.com.bt. There are no discounts or student